Hopelessly Devoted
by DagnyHepburn
Summary: The budding romance of James Potter/Lily Evans through watching Severus Snape's eyes. Jealous Snape and cute JPLE fluff. Not to mention walks, potions, funny Sirius and maybe a quidditch kiss?


A/N: Hello again! I don't own Harry Potter but I have all the movies and books. I love Alan Rickman & Snape is an amazing character but it's all about the JPLE!

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><p><strong>Severus POV<strong>

I can't be seeing this. I've been staring at this charms book for too long. I rubbed my eyes vigorously and looked again across the lawn. I wasn't dreaming. There was Lily Evans, _my_ Lily walking with that toe rag James Potter.

That wasn't even the worst part. Not the fact that she even let him within 5 feet of her, or that she wasn't screaming at him in frustration. No. The worst part was that she seemed to be enjoying his company immensely. Lily's afternoon walks by the lake were sacred to her. She liked being alone to think about classes, the future, her family and all sorts of things, or at least she used to. I can recall perfectly the many times I had tried to join her on her walk, only to be rebuked and sent away. But here she was, walking shoulder to shoulder with _Potter_. I spat his name out internally like an expletive.

I knew that if I continued to watch I was only setting myself up for misery, but I just couldn't turn away. _I didn't know Slytherins were such masochists_, I mentally harassed myself. Instead of doing the self preserving thing, I picked up my books and shuffled closer, hiding myself behind some bushes.

I could see the Gryffindor pair walking closer to the bush I was hiding behind. James the prat was explaining something using extensive hand gestures. I thought he looked like a buffoon but Lily apparently thought it was funny and let out a hearty laugh. The sound made my heart soar. How I longed to be able to make her laugh again. I threw away that chance the moment I called her that vile word at the end of fifth year, as Lily likes to remind me. I should have predicted that Potter would worm his way next to Lily as soon as I was out of the picture. Here we were at the beginning of seventh year and Lily was all chummy with Potter. My internal reverie was broken by Lily's soft voice.

"James?" I shuddered. I can't believe she could say his first name without grimacing.

"Yes, my Lilyflower?" James replied smiling like the lovesick fool he was.

"Do you think we'll survive the war that's going on when we enter the real world?" She asked him with a trace of fear.

"Of course we will. Don't worry Lily, I'll protect you." James whispered the last part, sincerity and devotion ringing in his tone.

Instead of making her gag, which is what his words did to me, she seemed comforted and even…pleased? What?

"Thank you, James." She said quietly, linking their arms together as they treaded up to the Great Hall.

**Two weeks later…**

I had arrived early to Potions class, wanting to make some changes to my _Advanced Potion-Making_ book by Libatius Borage. Borage may have written these many potions down but he certainly did not make the process efficient.

I smirked when I thought about Potter and Black's look of dismay when I finished brewing my amortentia potion before the rest of the class had even achieved a pink color. The closest student to finishing was Lily, of course. In no time at all, her potion had a mother of pearl sheen and spiraling steam rising out of her cauldron. She took a big waft of her potion and then got a startled look on her face.

I remembered Lily turning to look at the table behind her, where James Potter was working. Potter sensed her gaze, looked up and winked at her. Lily turned back to her cauldron, her face matching the color of her hair. Strange.

The only good thing about having potions with those intolerable Gryffindors was that I got to see Lily, even if she was surrounded by the loathsome Marauders.

After the amortentia potion, Lily had been acting weird. She started eating meals with the four Marauders, joking and laughing constantly. She was always seen in the company of that tosser James. They would walk to class together and he would carry her books or they would walk to the Great Hall together for meals. The Lily I knew would have threatened Potter to stop following her and to not treat her like an invalid. I didn't recognize this new Lily. Maybe I had lost her.

While my desolation settled around me, other seventh years entered the dungeon and sat down at their respective tables. Last to enter was Lily and Potter…and they were holding hands! _My_ Lily was willingly letting Potter touch her with his filthy hands. They were both grinning from ear to ear and as they reached her table, Potter lifted their hands and kissed the back of Lily's hand.

I saw red. _I_ wanted to be the person to kiss the silky skin of her hand! How I longed to hold her hand for the world to see, to be the source of her face lighting up, or even to be able to talk to her again like we used to. Before James bloody Potter.

It had to be the worst day of my life.

I was wrong.

**Three weeks later…**

It was the day of the much anticipated Gryffindor/Slytherin quidditch match. The air was thick with tension in the Great Hall, each house taking sides to cheer on during the game.

Looking over at the Gryffindor table, I smirked when I saw Potter looking physically ill in his quidditch uniform. I would like nothing better than for him to fall off his broom during the match and show everyone the fool he really is.

Lily, sitting next to him, also noticed James's queasy look and started talking to him. It appeared that she was comforting him, much to my displeasure. Soon it was time for the quidditch teams to head down to the pitch and James unsteadily got up from the breakfast table. He was turning to leave when Lily suddenly jumped to her feet and kissed him on the cheek. I read her lips as she told him, "For good luck," and smiled. Potter grinned like he had just won the world cup and strutted through the doors and down to the pitch.

30 minutes later, I left with my fellow Slytherins to go down to the quidditch pitch. I saw Lily a few meters ahead, walking and chatting with some seventh year Gryffindor girls. They seemed to be having a heated discussion and I quickened my pace until I was close enough to hear their conversation.

"So you like him then?" The tall brunette asked.

"Of course I like him Marlene! He's my friend." Lily answered in a matter of fact tone.

"But do you _like_ him like him?" The shorter brown haired girl asked.

No response.

"Ooooh look at that Alice! Lily's blushing! You totally have a crush on James Potter!" Marlene jeered.

"Shhh! Keep it down, Marlene!" Lily whispered frantically.

"Please, no one is listening Lils." Alice replied but continued to lower her voice, "You _have_ to tell us when you finally agree to go out with him!"

Lily giggled. "I promise to tell you as soon as I go on a date with James Potter!"

I had heard enough of their conversation and slipped back a few people to mull over the information I had just received. Lily had a crush on James Potter? And she was seriously contemplating dating him sometime in the future? My heart ripped apart a little. There's no way that Lily could feel that way towards that prat. She must have said those things just to get her friends off her back. Yes! That was it; Lily was just pretending so she would be left in peace.

My spirits lifted considerably and I walked with a little more gusto than usual.

It had been a very tight match. The Slytherin team would get a few goals ahead, only for the Gryffindor team to come back and even up the score. After an hour, we were beating the Gryffindors 80 to 50.

There was a sudden cry from the Gryffindor stands when Potter began to purposefully dive with his arm outstretched. The Slytherin seeker, Regulus Black, trailed behind him trying to either catch the snitch first or knock Potter off his broom. I personally hoped for the latter.

The two seekers continued in their downward dive, eyes focused on the golden snitch. As the ground became increasingly closer, Regulus seemed to become more and more uncomfortable. Potter never once wavered from his objective and continued zooming towards the grass. About 20 feet from the ground, Regulus' fear got the better of him and he swerved out of the dive, leaving Potter to his death-defying antics.

I was really looking forward to James being smashed against the ground but at the very last possible second, he pulled up from the dive with a triumphant grin in place. Thrusting his hand into the air, it was revealed that he had in fact caught the snitch. The stands opposite of mine broke out in raucous applause. Red and gold-scarved students stormed the quidditch pitch to celebrate their winning team. At the forefront was a streak of red hair, Lily.

It was like a scene from one of my nightmares. Lily ran towards James with an exultant look on her glorious face, arms outstretched. James beamed in return and opened his arms wide for her embrace. She leaped into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck and _kissed_ him. Lily Evans was tightly wrapped around James Potter and they were making out in the middle of a victorious Gryffindor celebration on the pitch. James grinned into their kiss and wrapped his arms securely around her waist.

My heart ripped in half. No amount of pain could ever come close to the heartbreak I was experiencing right now.

Eventually, the people celebrating around the couple noticed the anomaly occurring before them and immediately hushed.

Lily and James, still absorbed in their kiss, slowly realized the lack of noise and broke apart to look around. They were greeted by looks of astonishment by the students who didn't know them and looks of glee by their friends. Even the teachers seemed pleased. I'm almost positive that I saw Professor McGonagall say to Professor Dumbledore, "Finally!"

Not caring that she was the center of attention, Lily turned back to James smiling and said, "I think everyone knows that we're dating now, James."

"Took them long enough," James joked, pressing his lips back to Lily's.

"Oi! Prongsie! Are you telling me that you have had our delectable Lilyflower all to yourself and you didn't tell me?" Sirius Black asked injured.

Potter pulled back from the kiss and turned to his best friend, "I wanted to keep her all to myself, Padfoot. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you next time we go to Hogsmeade."

Sirius seemed appeased by this and turned to the gawking students, "What are you lot staring at? We just won! Party in the common room! I'll bring the butterbeers!"

The surrounding Gryffindors began cheering again and paraded back up to the castle, Sirius leading the pack.

I couldn't bear to look at Lily wrapped in the arms of someone as vile as James Potter anymore, so I silently slipped away from the crowd. I dragged my feet to the dungeons, muttered the password "grindylow" and swiftly buried myself in my four poster bed, drawing the curtains closed around me. I cried for my lost friendship, my lost love and the future I would never have.

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><p>EN: James and Lily fluff is the best! Not to mention that Sirius Black is the funniest bloke I have ever read :) Who do you date: James or Sirius? And as always your reviews mean the world to me!


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